Use your tea breaks to bolster immunity!

Herbal teas can have a beneficial impact on both acute and chronic health problems.

Studies indicate drinking tea may have a profound effect on free-radical activity that may contribute to the prevention of heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, liver disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Additionally, teas can be used for general wellness—supporting immunity, digestion, and energy level.

Tea as Medicine

Single herbs are usually used for acute health conditions, while chronic problems are typically treated with a mixture of herbs, such as those used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Tea can be made using loose herbs or tea bags with an average steep time of five to 10 minutes. Loose herbs are widely available, offer great variety, and give the tea drinker more control over strength and proportion, especially when used in combination.

Tea bags, on the other hand, are already measured or mixed. The herbs in bagged teas are also finely ground, making them—and their associated healing properties—more water-soluble.

Healing Effects of Tea

Loose or bagged, herbal teas are safe and have gentle and subtle healing effects on the body. They are packed with antioxidants, specifically a powerful class of phytochemicals known as polyphenols. Polyphenols fight free radicals, which damage and eventually destroy cells in the body.

Teas That Boost Immunity

A variety of herbal teas have been shown to support immune function, including echinacea, elderberry, goldenseal, ginger, astragalus, and licorice.

Both echinacea and elderberry have anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects, making them popular for strengthening the immune system.

American Indians ingested echinacea to fight everything from sore throat to rabies. Today echinacea, frequently found in combination with elderberry, is used primarily to treat the symptoms of colds, flu, and upper respiratory infections.

Research has found that echinacea increases interferon production, which is one way that the body fights viral infections. Moreover, clinical trials of elderberry have shown that it cures 90 percent of flu infections in a 72-hour period, while patients receiving a placebo took twice as long to recover from their symptoms.

Tea with a Twist

Try including tea as an ingredient in your next culinary concoction!

The cookbook Culinary Tea ($22.95, Running Press, 2010) uses teas from around the world to add an extra dimension to appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

Chewing raw tea leaves was certainly a historical precursor to brewing a cup or a pot. Follow the roots of teas in the kitchen by enjoying recipes that honor this time-tested healing agent and flavor enhancer.

Choosing Your Canning Jars

You cannot use or reuse ordinary glass jam jars for heat processing because they don’t have thick enough glass to withstand the heat.

The best jars to buy for waterbathing are Kilner or Le Parfait jars, which come with rubber seals and clips to allow the steam to escape.

Alternatively, you can buy Ball or Mason glass jars with two-part lids, which consist of a flat disk held in place by a screw band; these are ideal because the disk part forms a vacuum when it is secured correctly, meaning you can check the seal before you tighten the screw band.

Check that rubber seals are not damaged in any way before using. New metal disks for Mason jars should be used each time.

All jars should be examined before use to make sure there are no chips or cracks in the glass. Also ensure that the new lids are not damaged in any way.

Sterilizing Your Canning Jars

Make sure you use specialty jars for waterbathing, and make sure the lids and seals are in perfect condition.* Clean the jars and lids in hot soapy water. Rinse thoroughly or put them through a dishwasher cycle. Heat the rubber seals, jars, and lids in simmering water to 180° or just above; do not allow the lids to boil or the rubber or plastic will perish. Alternatively, put the jars in the oven at 185°. Store the jars in the water, dishwasher (with the door closed), or oven until you are ready to fill them, as they should be hot for processing.

Hot-Packing Your Canning Jars

1. Fill hot, sterilized jars with fruit mixture, allowing ¹/₄-inch headroom. Don’t overfill the jars or the contents will bubble up inside the jar and overflow, ruining the seal.
2. Remove any air bubbles trapped inside the jars by poking inside them with a sterilized plastic chopstick or narrow spatula. Clean the rim of the jars with water or a little vinegar on clean paper towels to ensure a good seal.
3. Put on the lids. Note that screw bands should not be fully tightened at this stage. Wipe off any splashes around the lid with paper towels.

Water Bath Canning Method

Preparing the Water Bath for Canning

1. Place the filled jars upright on a wire or wooden rack fitted inside a large, deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan such as a stockpot. If you don’t have a rack, simply cut out a circle of unwaxed cardboard and place it in the bottom of the pan or sit the jars on a folded towel. Be sure the pot has a tight-fitting lid and is deep enough to accommodate the jars. Wind a towel around the jars to stop them from clattering about; this isn’t necessary if you have a specialty rack designed to keep the jars apart. For best results, they should be at least ¹/₂-inch apart to allow the water to circulate around the jars.
2. Fill the pan with warm water (100°), so that it covers the tops of the jars by at least 2 inches. Put the lid on the pan and place it over a low to medium heat. Bring slowly to 190°. Depending on the size of your pan, the water should take approximately 30 minutes to heat. Increase the heat and bring the water to a rolling boil (212°) before setting your timer.

Water Bath Canning Processing

1. Process for the time allocated in the recipe. The water should be visibly boiling throughout the whole process, although you might have to reduce the heat to stop it from spurting over your oven.
2. After processing, switch off the heat and allow the jars to stand for 5 minutes before attempting to remove them. Remove the jars one at a time from the boiling water using metal tongs or heatproof rubber gloves, keeping the jars upright at all times.

Water Bath Canning Sealing Process

Leave to stand upright on a heatproof surface and test the seals after 24 hours.

You can’t check the seals with Kilner or Le Parfait jars. For Mason-style lids, remove the screw bands and try to lift the lids—they should feel stuck to the jars. If this is the case, the jars are suitable for long-term storage and should last up to a year if stored in a cool, dark place preferably between 50° and 68°. If you can lift the lids off the jars at this stage, they haven’t sealed completely and won’t be suitable for long-term storage; transfer them to the fridge and eat within a couple of days.

Tis the season to celebrate all things light, from reading to clothing to the rays pouring down from the sky.

Yet it pays to be cautious about sun exposure. By age 70, one in five Americans will contract melanoma, the deadly skin cancer, according to the Melanoma Research Foundation. For that reason, it's best to seek shade from 10 am to 4 pm, when the sun's rays are strongest.

Is there such a thing as a healthy tan? “Most consider it an oxymoron,” says David E. Fisher, MD, chief of the Department of Dermatology at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital.

Products to Protect Your Skin

Sun-safe options run the gamut from sunscreen and lip balm to self-tanning products, clothing, and even supplements. With these kinds of choices, you can get the most out of your lazy days without breaking a sweat.

Sunscreen Tips

Proper Sunscreen Usage

“Put on often; slather on thick,” says Dr. Fisher. He recommends a broad-spectrum sunblock that protects against UVA and UVB rays. UVB is the culprit when it comes to most cancers, but UVA, responsible for premature wrinkling and aging, can also damage DNA.

Use sunscreen daily if outside for more than 20 minutes. Apply 30 minutes before sun exposure. Reapply often, every two hours, if it’s humid or you’re swimming or perspiring heavily. Choose a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 year-round. 

Safe Sunscreen Ingredients

Most oil-based sunscreens don’t contain enough SPF, so opt for cream or lotion. Many natural products contain additional healthful ingredients such as vitamins E and C or green tea.

Kat James, author of The Truth About Beauty, recommends choosing a mineral-based sunscreen (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) for optimum safety. Mineral sunscreens are called physical sunscreens because they block the sun's harmful rays from penetrating skin. 

Chemical sunscreens contain UV filters like oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and octinoxate. Unfortunately, many of these active ingredients were grandfathered and approved by the FDA without evaluating their safety. In 2019, the FDA determined that out of the 16 commonly used sunscreen filters, 12 lacked sufficient health and safety data. 

Oxybenzone, found in 40 percent of the products evaluated in 2020 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), has fewer data gaps than other chemical filters, but some evidence suggests it is more easily absorbed into the skin and could be a potential endocrine disruptor. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals linked to problems with growth and development, reproduction, immune and nervous system function, and may even pose an increased cancer risk.

Children appear to be more likely to suffer harm from oxybenzone due to the "potential for higher absorption and bioaccumulation," EWG reports. 

In 2021, the state of Hawaii banned the sale of products containing octinoxate and oxybenzone. Both, even in small amounts, are toxic to coral reefs.

What to Look for in Lip Balm

Lips get sunburned, too, so apply protection that’s SPF 15 or higher; many lip balms come in pretty summer tints.

Self-Tanners

“If a tan is induced by UV radiation, there’s no evidence that it’s a safe tan,” says Dr. Fisher. He adds, “A sunless tan is a safe tan.”

Kat James recommends a bronzer with mineral pigments (iron oxides), which allows for even application.

Supplements that Protect Skin

For protection from the inside out, some studies support the use of vitamins B3, C, and E and beta carotene to counteract the damaging effects of UV radiation. Other potentially protective phytochemicals include astaxanthin, lycopene, pine bark extract, and caffeine.

Certain herbs such as St. John's wort and dong quai can increase your chance of sunburn, so use caution in the sun if you take these supplements.

As for that much-needed by-product of the sun, vitamin D, Dr. Fisher feels that sun exposure is “a carcinogenic way to get vitamin D. It comes at a price—skin cancer.” He notes, “Vitamin D supplements are chemically identical, functional, and will fully replace the vitamin D we would receive from the sun.”

The US government recommends eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but most Americans come up short. In fact, only about a quarter of us even eat three servings of vegetables per day. In terms of nutrient density, few foods outrank leafy greens.

Grasses, Algae & Other Superfoods

Yes, we know we should be eating more vegetables. After all, eating plant foods appears to decrease the risk of inflammation, pain, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, obesity, autoimmune disease—you name it. But still. We’re busy. 

Enter the world of green food supplements: wheat grass and barley grass, spirulina, blue green algae, chlorella, chlorophyll, concentrated alfalfa, and nettle. These “superfoods” are often sold in convenient powders that you mix into water or another drink.

While green foods can’t fully take the place of fruits and vegetables, their high concentrations of nutrients can help us make up for dietary sins or amplify an already healthy diet.

Those who are adverse to green drinks can take green food pills (with about 16 pills equal to one scoop), or seek brands that add enough natural sweeteners and flavorings to resemble juice or a shake.

Green Superfood Benefits

• Wheat & Barley Grasses

  These two top the list of cereal grass greens. Humans can’t digest whole grass, but juiced and powdered extracts offer a highly nutritious concentrate.

  In combination with a raw vegan diet, the grasses improved symptoms of fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.

  Wheatgrass tablets increased hemoglobin enough to reduce the frequency of blood transfusions needed for children with blood disease. 

  Research on dried barley leaf extract suggests that it can lower LDL “bad” cholesterol. People who are allergic to wheat and gluten should use caution with these green foods, though; they may cause a reaction.

• Algae

  Studies show that spirulina and other blue green algae (both sources of protein, nutrients, and antioxidants) improve exercise duration and performance, decrease inflammation, reduce cholesterol, and support the immune system. A recent study of spirulina grown in deep-sea water showed that spirulina grown in deep-sea water showed more  "immune activation activities" than that of spirulina grown in conventional sea water.

  Chlorella—a green algae and concentrated source of chlorophyll—may offer similar effects, but the research has been less enthusiastic. Seek good sources: Algae can be contaminated with microbes and heavy metals.

• Chlorophyll & Alfalfa

  All green plants contain the green pigment of photosynthesis called chlorophyll, but most supplements are made with concentrated alfalfa. Scientists don’t consider chlorophyll essential for humans, but it is an important component of a healthy plant-based diet.

  Green foods’ “blood-building” effects are often attributed to chlorophyll—its chemical structure closely resembles hemoglobin—however, it’s more likely due to the interconnection of several nutrients in greens. Proponents claim chlorophyll also acts as a natural deodorant.

  Alfalfa in its whole form offers vitamins, minerals, and plant estrogens. Phytoestrogens support hormonal health in women—allaying menopause complaints, strengthening bones, and possibly helping to prevent some cancers.

• Nettle & Other Herbs

  For quick-hit nutrition, herbalists turn to nettle leaves and other herbs like oat straw and horsetail. Research is slim; however, nettle remains one of our highest and most bioavailable sources of plant calcium.

  Oat straw provides more mineral density than oatmeal. Horsetail is so high in silica that pioneers used it to scour pots and polish metal!

  Traditional teas don’t extract many minerals, but according to herbalist Susun Weed, a super-infusion of nettle contains as much as 500 milligrams of calcium per cup, plus other nutrients. Place one ounce of dried herbs in a quart jar (or French press pot), fill to the top with near boiling water, stir, cover, and let steep for four or more hours. Strain, pressing as much tea from the herbs as possible.

Do you know a child who eats at a “peanut-free” table in the school cafeteria? Or one whose diet is devoid of wheat and gluten?

It’s important to work with a nutritionally trained health professional to ensure that youngsters with food allergies or intolerances receive adequate nutrition. Along with a careful eating plan, certain supplements can support digestive and whole-body wellness—or even reduce the risk of disorders occurring in the first place.

Food Allergies and Intolerances in Children

Common Food Allergies for Kids

Up to 8 percent of children suffer from food allergies. Food allergies are immune system reactions to certain ingredients that range from mild to severe. These are the most common food allergens among this age group.

• Milk
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts
• Eggs
• Soy
• Wheat

Food Intolerances

Intolerances, in which certain foods irritate the digestive system, are much more widespread. This may explain why an estimated 20 percent of children stick to some form of “elimination” diet (in which a potential problem food is avoided).

Natural Treatment for Food Allergies

• Probiotics for Food Sensitivities

  Some studies indicate that supplementation with probiotics is useful. Italian researchers have recently found that introducing these friendly bacteria into the gut may promote healthy immune system development in children predisposed to food allergies.

  Other research shows that taking two strains of probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacteria lactis) improves itchy, inflamed skin in kids with food sensitivities.

• Vitamin E and Omega-3s

  Inflammation in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and malabsorption of certain nutrients is a common concern.

  One California trial investigated the effect of vitamin E and omega-3 supplementation among 187 autistic children with speech disorder. Many of these youngsters also had gluten sensitivity or food allergy and GI symptoms.

  Most of the families—97 percent—reported improvements in speech, behavior, and other areas. These results led researchers to suggest that the “syndrome” of food allergy, speech disorder, and malabsorption responds well to supplementation.

• Nutritional Balance

  A holistic health practitioner can help parents identify the nutrients children are missing or absorbing inadequately. Dietary gaps may be addressed, for example, with a high-quality children’s multi along with calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and omega 3s.

  Other supplements, such as enzymes, and herbs can encourage digestive health and healing.

Risk Factors for Food Allergies

• Heredity and Environmental Factors

  Food allergies are thought to run in families, but parents can reduce other risk factors by following their pediatrician’s dietary guidelines for infants and protecting little ones from exposure to tobacco smoke.

• Pregancy and Nursing

  A mother’s diet during pregnancy and lactation seems to be another key factor.

  • Omega-3 Fatty Acid

    Recent research in Sweden found that babies with a family history of allergic disease had fewer allergies in their first year of life—if their moms took supplemental fish oil.

    Women in the study took 1.6 grams (g) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 1.1 g docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or a placebo daily from the 25th week of pregnancy through an average three or four months of breastfeeding.

    The number of children with food allergies or eczema was lower in the omega-3 group.

• Multivitamins

  Early use of multivitamins may also be protective. One study that looked at allergy patterns among more than 2,400 kids found that those who started taking multis at or before age four were less likely to have food sensitivities by age eight.

You’ve already been adding fruits and vegetables to your children’s lunchboxes to keep them healthy. You may want to add containers of yogurt too.

With more than 100 trillion microbes found in the digestive tract—and a growing amount of research proving that probiotics can help fight colds—it turns out that what we need to know really does lie in our guts.

The Power of Probiotics

Most probiotics help maintain so-called “good” or “friendly” bacteria found naturally in our digestive systems. And while there are about 400 kinds of “good” bacteria in the gut, many of us just don’t have enough to stay healthy. Years of poor dieting can also cause an imbalance of organisms or microflora in the intestines.

Research has shown that probiotic intake aids in digestive health, helping to repopulate our healthy bacteria count. Science is also finding that it can give the immune system a much-needed boost.

Recent studies indicate that daily supplementation of probiotics taken during the winter months can reduce the sniffles and lower the likelihood of getting a cold for everyone from preschool children to athletes to the elderly.

Cut Your Colds

There’s no evidence that taking probiotics—in food or in supplements—can cure a cold, but upping your intake may make you less likely to get one in the first place.

A study published in the European Journal of Nutrition concluded that taking two strains of Lactobacilli “reduces the risk of acquiring common cold infections.”

On the Run

Trained endurance athletes who received a twice daily Lactobacillus supplement also developed fewer upper respiratory-tract infections than those who received a placebo. Significantly higher levels of antibacterial agents were found in their saliva after 8 and 16 weeks of probiotic supplementation.

Lifelong Health

Preschool children who drank a probiotic mix twice daily for six months had fewer bouts of coughing, runny noses, and fevers compared to the control group.

On the other end of the age spectrum, a group of elderly people who drank a mix containing two strains of Lactobacilli substantially increased their immune health, and most of the positive changes remained 12 weeks after supplementation ended.

These studies used probiotic supplements in drink or pill forms. You can also get probiotic support by eating foods cultured or fermented with lactobacilli—like miso, tempeh, unpasteurized sauerkraut, kefir (a fermented milk drink), and of course, yogurt.

According to Whitaker Wellness Institute founder Julian Whitaker, MD, eating yogurt with active cultures may provide another added benefit—preventing the outbreak of canker sores, which can occur when the immune system is depressed.

Maureen Williams, ND, says munching on foods that lactobacilli like to eat can ensure that the bacteria thrive in your gut. Make their favorite foods some of yours, such as bananas, onions, garlic, and Jerusalem artichoke.